Afterlife
by Chelsea J. Grinn
Summary: She has a year to live. A year to define herself once and for all. In a desperate turn of events she becomes something she would never think of,all the while trying to give her life meaning. KA/OC
1. Death Breath

**A/N: Well hello everyone, this is my latest fic, Afterlife. I hope everyone enjoys it. Lots of smut for thought of you who love it by the way. Also I will add that I'm not a medical doctor, so if I have misrepresented something, I'm sorry! And please let me know...So yea. Enjoy. :]**

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"I'm only twenty-one..." the words escaped her mouth before she could contain her surprise.

They were a lifeless gesture, they fell to the floor, silently crashing against the linoleum. Stating her age was a lost effort, it all was. She looked to the ground. The shattered words disappeared into the white and black speckled floor. Tears replaced the words as she heard muffled speech in the background.

"Treatment can help, it will make the best of your situation...Pulmonary Tuberculosis is treatable...I'm sure you will be fine..." its all she heard him say from across the desk.

Her heart skipped beats, her mouth hung open. The world disintegrated around her. Time stood still as she breathed in an out. The labored breath was a unwelcome reminder of the news that put her into a restless state of shock. Her eyes closed for a split second. The blackness made her feel empty, void of life, as if she was already dead. This unfathomable terror began to slowly filter its way into her brain. She looked up. Her eyes hard and unforgiving.

"No treatment...I refuse." her voice was like a wave of ice. It froze over, making the room a vacuum of happiness.

He stared at her. He was puzzled. He tried to speak to her, but she did not listen. The meeting continued. His voice scratched against her ears. It was sharp and demanding. It hurt her. He pointed out the options on the table. She turned her head, her eyes closed. She felt something well inside her. She didn't understand this feeling. Not anger, or sadness, not fear or regret...it felt just simply empty. She just felt empty. No words would come, no thoughts could form, she was lost in the moment.

He stood, she followed suit. They shook hands, and then she was in her car. The tan leather seats were hot against her skin, but the pain was nonexistent against her senses. She put her head in her hands. The tears were gone now, but the empty feeling remained. She breathed in and out, trying to make her lungs heal...trying to force the disease from her body, but as she tried it felt as though it was only getting worse.

She coughed. her hands went to her mouth, a habitual practice. She pulled them away. Speckles of blood coated her palm. She winced when she saw them. The warm blood felt like pins had been shoved through her appendage, she resented the false pain. The blood was transferred from her hand to her jeans. Then put the key in the ignition. She headed for the surgical store. Her discomfort welled inside her.

The old woman behind the counter looked a half inch from death. The millions of wrinkles on her face looked like leather. The way the woman looked to her was terrifying. The black eyes were old and weathered. They were harsh and judgmental. Her only happiness was knowing that she would never look this way. She quickly got what she needed, gloves, surgical masks, the works. She brought her items to the counter. To her it felt obvious that she was afflicted, but the woman didn't bat and eye as she ran up the items.

"And if I can get you to sign here," she handed her the receipt, and a pen. She signed her name, _Gia Vang_, she wished she could speak her name, the words were stuck in her failing lungs.

She sprinted from the store, and locked herself in her car. She sat for a moment, hoping that a thought would come into her head, but she was still empty of all thought. She cursed herself as she started the car once more, and pulled out from the lot.

The ride home felt like a second to her. The key turned, the door opened, the light switch flicked to the 'ON' side. The bag dropped from her hand. She undressed, and turned the water to cold. She pulled up the tab to turn the shower on. She stepped in. the water crushed against her skin. Her lungs froze under the water, they ached as they pushed her diseased life out of her. She shuttered under the weight of the frigid water.

Her blonde hair soon became soaked, her body was covered in the icy water. It felt like she would never be warm again, she loved this feeling. If she could harness this feeling she could live her last year in happiness. She relished in the feeling. She pulled back the shower curtain, the cold air rushed against her body. She shivered.

Water sprayed onto the walls, the toilet, into the sink. The sound that the water made while hitting against her bathroom calmed her. She sat in the tub, then slid downinto her back, laying flat. The cold water washed over her body. At this moment her emptiness grew, and then deflated. She felt her emotions be rebooted. Hot salty tears fell from her eyes, the screams of her anger and depression echoed through out her apartment. She, naked in the bathtub, water engulfing her figure. She cried, and screamed, she beat her fist against the cast iron coffin of water.

The life that she had built was being stripped away, she felt it happen to her. As she curled up in the bath tub she felt her broken body. She touched her chest, she could feel a sickening death rattle manifest in side her. She saw drops of blood fall from her mouth and intertwine with the water. It washed away, leaving the tub clean. She willed her body to expel the illness, but it fought against her.

She fell asleep in the tub, the water running. She awoke to the light seeping into her bathroom window. She turned the water off, and let her self lay in the tub. The water rolled of her swollen water logged flesh. The cold pierced its way into her skin, she felt a surge of energy take over her body. But as the cold air turned into warm she felt the energy leave. She remained in the tub. Her body was dry, her spirit was broken.

This is Gia Vang. Every day she looses a little more of her life, and comes closer and closer to her death sentence. In a year she will be dead, and her story will be forgotten to all, all except one.


	2. The Comedown

Four days passed. She remained in her prison. The walls encased her body, the cooled air flooded her senses. She awoke slowly, her blue eyes opening, she began to sit upright. She grabbed her phone, the missed calls, voice mails, and texts were empty gestures. She deleted them all, slowly erasing her previous life.

She slowly rose to her feet. The cold hardwood floors touched against her feet, needles and pins. She cracked her neck, the feeling was pure bliss. She walked to the kitchen. Her body was naked an had been kissed by the sun. she looked to herself. This body disgusted her. She wanted to vomit, but coughed instead.

She grabbed a bottled water and sat on the couch. She traced over her figures, her perfect perky breasts, her slim stomach, and voluptuous hips. She touched herself. The feeling was searing pleasure against her constant pain. Her smile widened...she continued. She grabbed the bottled water. The seal of the cap cracked apart, she took a sip, and then poured it over her naked form. The cold jetted her to her climax.

She moaned out. She felt amazing. The cold slippery skin ate her pain away, she smiled as she touched herself. But soon after she came down she felt a sinking feeling...she had moaned out but no name slid through her lips. It was a depressing thought. She had no one to envision, no one to use for her last year on earth, but most of all, no one to love. She understood that the last factor was lost to her. Love was a useless thought now. What she craved was someone against her. She yearned for the naked flesh to caress hers. She formed a plan.

The next day she was at a tuberculosis support group. The perfect white room was shattered by black chairs, all fifteen were contorted into a circle. One by one, people filed in, a pretty brunette, a tall older man, an old woman, a few deathly looking men...and then him. Her plan was to hunt for a lover. She wanted someone she couldn't curse with the disease, so she started with her own kind.

He walked in, wearing black from head to toe. His skinny jeans hugged his body, the hoodie he wore was up, sheltering his face, his black hair fell like a devil lock in his eyes. He removed his hoodie, tattoos coated his arms, his knuckles read: FUCK LIFE. She was in love with what he encompassed. She was on the prowl. She was now an animal.

He took the chair next to her. He looked her over. Her blonde hair and stone cold eyes made way for her perfect body, he felt his body ignite with lust. He looked to her.

"I'm Damien," he held out a hand. She pulled it close to her.

"I'm Gia, nice to meet you Damien..." she whispered to him. Her bloody red lips made love against his name. He smiled at her touch. The meeting began, she zoned out until it was her time to tell the story.

"I was home-schooled my entire life, my parents didn't believe in the vaccines that protected me against all the illnesses in the world. They thought it was the government was trying to poison me, or something, but their stupidity and paranoia led to my downfall I suppose," she paused and looked to Damien.

"But that didn't stop me from doing what I wanted. After I graduated high school I wanted to travel the world helping refugees. I got my tiny college fun, and got involved with Doctors Without Borders. I was helping people, giving them the very same vaccine that I never received myself." she stared to her knees.

"We were in Africa, I was tending to the ill in one of the many overpopulated hospitals, I have no doubt that's how I contracted this...this...curse." she said, her face masked with disgust.

She was thanked, and the conversation turned to Damien. He had been homeless for a large part of his life, he lived on the streets for the age of fifteen to nineteen. He made a life for himself bar tending in some pub downtown. Last month he found out that he had contracted TB and had been living with it for some time, he said he was undergoing treatment, but it was obvious he would be dead in six months anyway.

Everyone seemed surprised, but Gia didn't really care about all of this. She was forming a conversation, she would win him...they would end up at her apartment tonight. She was convinced of it, and she was right. Damien couldn't keep his eyes off of her. He initiated the conversation after the meeting.

"So...hey, Gia is it? Would you like to go get some coffee with me or something?" he asked, hesitating on the word 'coffee'. She looked at him, she smiled an evil smile.

"Well no coffee for me thanks but I can think of a way to spend some time together..." she said as she walked her fingers down his chest, and resting them at his belt buckle. He smiled. They were off.

The door was unlocked. The light turned on. She ripped her jacket off, closely followed by her shirt. Her breast were freed from the restrictive support garment. She turned to him. His jaw dropped. He pulled her into him, he kissed her hard as he fumbled with her breasts. She moaned out as he touched her. His hands were rough, she loved them rubbing against her. His mouth wandered to her chest. She moaned in satisfaction.

Somehow they made it to the room. She tore off her pants, her underwear were gone by the time he shut the door. He removed his clothing. She stared at his pale figure. The lean muscle over his arms and stomach made her shiver in approval. He climbed on top of her pushing his way into her. She felt the pleasure, loving it. She pleaded him to go stronger and faster. She screamed his name as they had sex, she moaned under him. He flipped her over, his hands rubbed down her back until they reached her wetness. He thrust into her again. Screams from Gia's mouth echoed through the night. The pleasure continued all night.

In the morning they continued. It was the happiest she had felt in days. She cried, but her tears of joy were masked by the blood spotted bedsheets. She coughed into the bed, three more dots of red appeared. She dismissed it, and succumbed to him as he rode her.


	3. Chelsea Smile

A phone rang out into the silence of the morning. Gia's eyes sprung wide open. She looked to her left, Damien was fast asleep next to her. Her phone continued ringing. She reached over to her bedside table reaching for her cell phone but all she felt was air. She looked over the side of the bed. The table had been knocked over onto its side. She scanned the room, the black rectangle rested just feet away from the table. The stretched her body, but she came up short.

She lunged from her bed, the noise was becoming unbearable. She pressed the talk button on the touchscreen,

"What?" she said in her haste.

"Don't talk to me like that Missy." the voice cracked in the air and through her ear.

"Mom..." she said slowly.

"Yes its me darling...I've been trying to get a hold of you for days. How was the doctor appointment?" she asked.

The hate flooded through Gia. It was because of her paranoid and neurotic mother that her baby girl would die. She wanted to travel through the wire, and snap her mothers withered neck. She closed her eyes. The energy coursed through her. She winced.

"Not well mom, I'm very sick." is all she could muster.

"Oh well I hope you aren't taking whatever it was he gave to you. Its just a cold, right honey? I told you it would be..." she trailed off.

"Well...um..." Gia tried to begin.

"Well come on over, I know I've got something here for you, something homeopathic. All those medications they give people now are making us all sterile, and you know how bad I want grand children, and you are my only hope darling, since you know well...Jackson and all that." the old hag cut her off.

Jackson was Gia's brother a few months ago he outed himself. Her parents couldn't believe that their little boy was a fag. I mean after all...they thought homosexuality was a choice...a lifestyle choice. This snide comment made Gia go off.

"Mom, I have TB." she said...slowly, cautious in a way.

"...oh...well..ehh...I'm sorry?" her mother replied.

"That's all you have to say to me? That's it?" she said, the anger flourishing in her voice.

"There isn't much more I can say darling, you are the one who wanted to go over there to Africa...you made that choice. I saw this coming dear, from a mile away..." her mother was a snob, a paranoid, homeopathic snob...a bitch.

"Fuck you...you are the one who could have protected me from all this! You could have gotten me immunized! But no, that would have made me sterile, or stupid or something!" she screamed into the phone.

"Now, Gia," her mother tried to speak.

"No mom, no, I refuse to do this anymore. You killed me, you killed your own daughter." she said. She touched the end screen. The phone was off.

The phone call from her arrogant and 'regret free' mother was all she needed to dive headfirst into a life that took her from reality. She and Damien would stay in bed all day, only leaving the platform to get alcohol or cocaine. Its all she could do to forget everything that had happened to her.

The 40 felt good in her hand. She walked around the kitchen, the floor covered in vomit and dirt. The counter tops graced with dirty dishes and rotting food. Damien was in the next room, she could hear him breathing. She took a swig of her 40, the searing liquid trickled down her throat. She walked like a drunk to the room and sat on the edge of her bed. A coughing fit broke out. She coughed and coughed. The blood from her mouth smeared on her hand. She laughed at it.

Damien turned over, his face was sunken and pale.

"Hey." he cooed through a broken voice.

"Ehh." she mumbled back.

She put the bottle down, and crawled next to him. He pushed her underwear down, and slipped two fingers into her. She moaned out. She kissed him. Their mouths wrestled for victory. Damien climbed on top of her, holding her down. He rubbed himself against her, grunting as his cock rubbed against her wetness. Her blank eyes stared at him, he kissed her again, this pleasure would not last. They made love...three days later someone found him in an alleyway, dead. When Gia heard the news she fell into a deep depression. She had asked him to go get cigarettes...and he had never returned.

Her body devoured itself. She injected poison into her veins now, not wondering of the needles were sterile. It made mo difference. She was taken under the current of the life that Damien had left her. Sex, and drugs. She was a party girl by night, and a lepper during the day. She hadn't spoken to her family since that one day. It had been three months since then.

She felt herself vomit. Blood encased her bile. Her nose was bleeding. She coughed. She stood from a pool of her own waste. Her body was weak. She stumbled across the living room, racking her legs and feet against chairs and tables. The vomit and blood still trickled from her chin as she sat on the once beautiful couch, now it was just stained and dirty.

She turned the television on. The channels flipped by, they were all a blur. She stopped at one. A bright teal blur caught her eyes. The teal and yellow made her feel like she was hallucinating. He was her age, she could tell. He was dressed to the nines for sure. He spoke about how he just wanted to help people like he had in the past few years.

"Kick Ass?" she spoke.

She had been enamored with him her senior year of high school. He was the first real life super hero.

Her eyes were glued to the TV. Tears fell from her eyes. It was him...he was her savior.


	4. It Was Written In Blood

**A/N: hey I really hope I get more people reading soon! Please remember to review!**

"Who is the fairest of them all?"

Her voice was rough, crimson breath poured from her mouth. Her hands shook as they braced her against the counter top. She spoke to the mirror, but the mirror never replied.

"That's what I thought..." she muttered as she walked off.

Her body encased in straps of white leather, white zippers traced her silhouette on either side of her body. A pair of white mid-calf boots with black laces adorned her feet, and a white surgical mask covered her face.

Her graying eyes were the brightest attribute, other than the blood stained mask covering her mouth. The claret colored pattern looked like that of blood red lips. She smiled under the mask as she donned her black wig. She cracked her neck slowly in preparation for the evening.

She strapped her seven daggers to her chest, each with a name engraved in the blade. The hook shaped batons followed the knifes. She attached them to her thighs, quick release was the key with her. She took a step back to admire her handy work. She had imagined this day to be more triumphant, as if when she stood above the city at night, she would gleam as a white beacon of hope, but instead she felt clean, empty, and ravenous.

The hours marched on. She was bored. She kicked around some gravel in an alleyway. She slid a gloved hand along the brick siding of a building. She had almost given up, but then she heard worried frantic footsteps. A woman darted into the alleyway, barely missing Gia.

A large man was chasing her from about 10 feet behind. It was just enough distance for Gia to withdraw her hook-shaped white batons. She stood at the ready, and then as he ran to her, anger in his eyes, she hooked him across the throat. He yelped in pain. Gia looked to his clothes, they were nice, Armani maybe, she looked to the girl, she was dressed like a hooker...so she probably was.

"Shit," Gia breathes before a fist hits her in the face.

Thrown backwards, she lost all concept of time and space.

Blackout

Grunting was never a good sign. And neither was the sound of bones breaking. Gia stood. She rubbed her eyes, and looked down. Her beautiful white costume was now dirty, and covered in black. She sighed. She looked up, and saw the man on top of the hooker. He was beating her into a pulp. Her face had been massacred by his fists.

It was one of those do or die moments. She could turn tail and run like hell or she could save this girls life.

The latter was her choice. She picked up her tarnished batons, in her hands they felt like gold. She walked to the man, he was kneeling on the girls chest. His hands were broken, his anger fueled him. She lifted a baton over her head. Her arms pulled it down, it sliced through the air. It hit against his back, forcing him downwards, losing his balance. He fell over, and arched in pain.

She smiled. But before she could relish in her victory, he charged her, throwing her into a brick wall, she heard her ribs break, but she struggled through the pain. She gave him an uppercut to the jaw, and followed it with and elbow to the stomach. He punched her again, this time in the stomach. She cried out. This man, this...'pimp', she might say, thought that he could treat her like his little busted up skank bitch. Her energy surged.

He wrestled her hands free and punched him in the ear. He had been stunned. He fell over, she kicked him hard in the ribs. She tried to show some restraint...she didn't know if she should kill him or not, but she left him badly injured. He wouldn't be moving for a while.

She ran to the girl and wrapped her arm around her. They walked past the man, he spit up some blood. Gia looked back at him,

"Welcome to my world...asshole." is all she could think of saying.

She practically dragged the girl to the hospital, and dropped her off at the emergency room. When she walked through the automatic glass sliding doors everyone's head turned. Her sullied white costume was still bright enough to catch the attention of everyone. Nurses rushed to her side, and took the girl away. She began to walk off, her broken ribs were aching, and her lungs were on fire. A nurse stopped her and asked her name, but she shrugged it off, running into the city.

She ran as hard as she could. Lungs burning like paper against a flame. Her body carried her, pushing its limits until she collapsed. Her white surgical mask was now almost all red, it was dripping through the material now. She cried out in pain. The pavement was cold and unforgiving. She tried to rise to her feet, but she could barely move.

From a distance down the alleyway, a boy in teal and yellow saw her, and he was quite interested. A glowing white form was stricken to the asphalt. He cautiously moved to her. She was wheezing loudly, it sounded like her chest was rattling. He was close to her now. He looked down to her. Her body was beautiful, and her costume was perfect. The straps of white leather covered her legs, and most of her torso.

"Hey?" he asked.

Her head turned to him. It was him...her savior...she was terrified.

"My God...are you OK?" he asked as he came towards her. The blood was all over her now.

"No!" she breathed out, "No, no! Don't come near me!" she screamed out through dead lungs.

"I just wanted to-"

"No!" she yelled again, "I'm fine...just go, get away, I'll be fine..." she finished as her body unwillingly got to its feet, she began to walk away, a limp forming as she held her sides.

"Who are you?" he yelled to her.

She stopped and turned to him.

"I guess you can call me...Snow White." she laughed.

She dashed off into the night, leaving the boy in teal and yellow stunned and shocked.


	5. Crucify Me

The pounding at her door woke her. It seemed urgent, she walked her naked body to the door and swung it open.

"Fucking shit! Gia! What the hell!" a man's voice yelled.

Her eyes sprung open, Jackson, her brother was standing in her door way. She slammed the door shut, and stood against it, her back against the steel.

"G! I still want to talk to you!" his muffled voice yelled out.

She shook in embarrassment.

"Okay, just let me get...something on!" she yelled through the door.

She frantically rummaged through her apartment, throwing on a sports bra, and a pair of basketball shorts. She threw some of the dirty dishes in the sink, and tossed all the garbage in the trashcan. Then she went a pulled a mask over her face, and washed her dirty hands clean with a few squirts from the massive bottle of hand sanitizer.

Since her revelation she had cleaned the house a bit, so it wasn't as much of a stye as it had been, but it was still not well taken care of. Why did she need a clean house? The dirt and grime was already in her, and no matter how much Windex, or Lysol she used, nothing could cleanse her of that.

She opened the door, and she was greeted by her brothers arms around her, encasing her in a massive hug. Her heart had ached for him, she missed the long talks at Starbucks, and the many nights after work at the hooka lounge.

"Jackson, I've missed you so much, I'm sorry I haven't called or anything...how are you?" she asked, trying to keep the conversation off of her.

"Fuck me and my problems G, Mom told me you had TB, and her words or obviously confirmed with the mask you are wearing...what the fuck happened?" his voice was worried, and angry, but not at her, at their bitch of a mother.

"I've got TB, Jackson, I'm not going to live to see my twenty-second birthday," she said as she took his hand in hers, "but always remember that I love you, more than anyone..." this meeting had taken a turn, a quite depressing one.

"You can't G, you can't...you haven't met Thomas yet..." he spoke softly.

"Who is Thomas?" she asked, already knowing.

"He's my...well...hes my boyfriend." he said, embarrassed. She smiled in happiness.

"Well I have at least...nine more months, I'd love to meet him..." she pulled his chin up to look at her. She smiled at him...he looked into her sunken face. She was getting pale, she had a big black eye, and her smile looked crooked. He knew that she wouldn't live.

They talked for hours, about everything. Jackson told Gia everything about Thomas, and his life in college, and how incredibly happy he was now that he was away from their parents. She told him about Damien, about how she had lost him, and that she missed him. She omitted the part about how she had become a crime fighting vigilante.

"So whats that shiner from?" Jackson asked.

She laughed as she came up with a lie.

"You know me...I let my mouth run wild. Always speaking my mind even when its not a good idea." she joked with him.

They laughed, but when the laughing subsided silence filled the void. The both stared at the floor for several minuets. Gia looked up to her brother, his white blonde hair was a fucking tattered mess, his pale blue eyes were beginning to get that hard look in them, she was frightened for him.

"Jackson," he looked up to her. "get immunized, okay? For me?" she asked him, tears brimming in her eyes.

"That's a can do 'sis..."he said, a smile plastered on his face. The stood, and hugged for a long time before he left.

After the door closed, she sat on the couch and cried, she removed the mask, her lips brimmed with blood. She screamed, and pounded her fists against the couch. Sometimes she regretted the decision not to receive treatment, but it just seemed so futile. She felt asleep for a few hours, there on the sullied couch.

She awoke finally, it was nearing ten o'clock. She felt a wave of ambition cross over her. She walked to her room, and looked down to the white costume in the corner of the room. The picked up the straps leather, and held it to herself. Just touching the thing make her shiver in delight. She looked out the window, and decided to suit up.

An hour later she was on the streets. She was speeding along, surveying the city. She felt so alive at that moment, she breathed freely, she smiled as no pain in her lungs was present. She slowed to a walk, she was beaming, that was until she turned a corner and bumped into someone new...


	6. Black And Blue

"Hello beautiful..." his voice cut into her.

She was confused as she looked to him. He looked her over with jet black eyes, his costume was stretched across his body. He looked powerful but had the voice of a teenage boy. He smiled as he came closer.

"It isn't very often that I see something as beautiful as you out here..." he brushed a hand against her cheek, skimming over her surgical mask.

"Yea well dream on kid..." she sad as she turned to walk away.

He grabbed her by her arm and pulled her to him. Their chests met, he reached an arm around her back.

"C'mon, don't leave now...we just met..." he said in her ear, sweeping her hair back and breathing down her neck.

She was sure that he was trying to be seductive, and unfortunately it was working on her. She felt his hands pressed against her body, his chest crushed against hers, she felt him grow hard in his pants, she yearned to take him right there, but in some way she knew it was wrong, she knew that she shouldn't.

He leaned in to take her mask off, she was bowing to his wishes now. Her mouth opened, she breathed heavily as he pulled his hand down further to her ass.

"You, my friend, are one sick fuck..." a familiar voice called out.

Kick Ass was here.

"Let her go Red Mist, go jack off behind the dumpster or something." Kick Ass said as he walked out under the street light.

Red Mist's plan had been ruined by Kick Ass, he pushed Gia away, practically throwing her into a wall. She grimaced for just a second before punching him in the eye. Kick Ass laughed, and gave her a pat on the back. She looked over to him, she could see him smiling.

"What the fuck!" Red Mist yelled out in anger as he ran from them, cradling his face in his hands.

"Good job Snow!" Kick Ass said as he held his hands up for a high five.

She giggled a little, but began to walk away.

"Still don't want to associate with me huh?"he said to her turned back.

"It's not that...it's just...I don't want to hurt you or anything..."

He was puzzled.

"Why would you anyway?" he asked her.

She turned and looked to him. He seemed nice, and kind, he was changing the world, she was just fucking around.

"I don't know...I guess I wouldn't." she said, smiling under her mask.

"Well then, lets go get some bad guys..." he said as they walked off together.

Dave had lost almost everything to Kick Ass. He had lost his friends, his family, and even Katie. He sat in his apartment staring at the floor. He felt like a failure even though he had achieved everything he had ever wanted but not being able to share your achievements with someone just felt like a waste of time.

He looked over to Katie's picture, it was on a side table in the living room. Her smiling face was full of life and happiness, now whenever Dave saw Katie's face, all he saw was anger and pain. He had left her over a year ago, but that didn't matter...Dave still loved her more than anything. He had left her to keep her safe, Katie just wanted him to quit this whole Kick Ass nonsense, but he couldn't break free from it.

The break up had been extremely painful, but it had been worth it. After all the death threats he had received, he knew it was only a matter of time before people would figure out who he was. Once they got that, Katie would have been an easy target, but now that they were separated, a year between them, she would be an after thought. He had erased her from his life, save this one picture.

He knew it was a risk, but as he sat in his Kick Ass costume, he felt like it was an acceptable one. He could never erase her completely, she had made an imprint on him so big that when he tried to remove her he was still left with a scar. It was faint, but it was there.

He thought about the night that had just given way to that had just given way to this morning. This girl, Snow White is what she called herself, he didn't know what it was but there was something about her. She was different, but she reminded him of someone, someone he could never forget.

That morning he fell asleep, and slept heavily. It had been the first time since he and Katie had broken up. He thought it meant something, but Gia knew that it was a feeling lacking worth.


	7. The Sadness Will Never End

It was a slow night. She stood there against a wall, all by her lonesome. She was thinking about quite a bit but was trying not to worry herself with the pressing issue of her almost certain death. She tried to shrug it off as she pulled away from the cold brick and began walking towards a fire escape. She was silent as she jaunted up the fire escape, she mounted the top of the building. She walked to the center of the roof, and looked up to the sky.

If there was a god, she wished that he would show himself to her now, but instead of god, she found him...

"Well hello again..." his voice smothered her senses.

She turned and looked, Red Mist was just feet behind her. She was nervous in his presence but she learned her lesson before, she refused to let him get to her like he had weeks ago.

"What the fuck do you want?" she asked, her voice harsh, unforgiving.

"You..." he said as he closed the gap between them.

She withdrew two throwing knifes, holding them defensively. Her eyes cut through him, but he loved it. She was hard to get, that got him off. He walked to her, keeping his cool. No more than a foot was between them now. He looked into her pale, lifeless eyes. They were tortured. It was enough to make him want to walk away, but he held hope.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I just...want you..." he said as he reached his hands out for her.

She stabbed him in the hand with one, and sliced his shoulder open with the other.

The perfect silver blades dripped with his blood. He looked up to her with nothing but lust in his vision. His eyes scanned the blades had names engraved in them, he counted seven blades in total. He laughed to himself in realization.

"Tell me, Snow White, what names are engraved on your throwing knifes?" he said

she looked at him, skepticism in her face.

"You already know..." she said as she pointed the bloody blade to his face.

_Sleepy._

That was the name on the blade.

"Your seven dwarfs I'm guessing?" he said as he pointed to the holster.

"You aren't as dumb as you look..." she said laughing.

"Yea, I know..." he said, keeping his distance this time.

"I'm kind of a Grimm's fairytale fan-girl, Snow White dodged a lot of shit along the way, and in the end she got her happy ending...every girl wants that..."

"But most girls will get that...and you...won't, you won't get a happy ending will you?" he asked as if he knew.

She looked down, smiling under her mask, she looked back up to him. That white mask skewed her face, he wanted to look beneath it. He wanted to look beneath the thin paper, beneath the blood stains, he wanted to see her. He smiled.

"No I wont get my happy ending, but that's fine with me...my ending will come swiftly..." she concluded as she began to walk off.

The cool air felt good against his wounds, he smiled as he walked away, in the opposite direction.

Kick Ass had made up his mind hours ago that he wasn't going out tonight, but a familiar knock on his window changed his mind. He looked over to see a purple wig and black mask against the black night sky. He smiled and walked to the window.

"Hey, come on in..." he said as the young girl dismounted into the dirty carpet.

"Whats with you? I haven't seen you out recently, shit its almost eleven, and you are still here?" the girl asked.

"Well I'm so sorry that I can't keep up with you, the all mighty and powerful Hit Girl..." he joked around with her, she laughed and walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of Jack.

She tossed him the bottle, "Here drown your sorrows in this like normal people do..." she said as she walked into his room.

He laughed at her little joke with the bottle. She came walking out with his costume.

"Put this piece of shit on, we are going out tonight...I've heard rumors of a new one out there...she calls her self Snow White apparently..." Hit Girl said to him.

"I've met her..." he said, almost boasting.

"What?" her girl replied.

He looked back and smiled as he walked to his room and closed the door. Mindy made her way to his bed room door, talking through it as he got dressed.

"Well do you know where to find her?" Hit Girl asked.

"As a matter of fact...I do..." he said emerging from his room. The wet suit clung to his body. Mindy was pleased.

"Well lets get a fucking move on then..." her voice hung in the air as she ran to the window, swan diving out of it.

Kick ass followed.


	8. Alligator Blood

The night had been far from eventful for him, but it was enough to get himself off. He pulled the car into the garage. His feet echoed through the concrete walls. He opened the door and walked through, immediately immersing himself in a gaudy modern interior. Wealth faced him at every turn, he felt welcome here. The way he lived reminded him of how he felt.

He often felt like a god living up in that penthouse, living far above a sea of poor and working class. Slowly walking to his master bedroom, he began to take off parts of his costume. The hair was first to go, and then the mask. He unzipped the costume on the side, a modification he had made a while back, and sliding the top portion of the costume down, it was split in half, revealing his chest hanging over the latter half of half of his body.

His body was covered in lean muscle. He had spent countless hours in the gym working for the body he had now. He wasn't sheer perfection, but he had become something any woman would want. He held a lot of pride on his body now. No longer was he that thin loser, that meek and quiet kid. He was a man now, he was the son his father had always wanted. He walked through the door of his room.

Black and silver shrouds covered the living area from top to bottom. He ripped off the rest of the suit, loosing that and his underwear. He walked to the bathroom, and ran a hot shower. He looked at himself in the mirror. He saw the cut she had bestowed upon him that night. He smiled, the image of her would consume him for the night. He stood there, stroking himself. Thrusting his cock in and out of his hand. In no time his hands were full of hot sticky liquid. He looked down and imagined she had caught his load instead of him.

She was more than thankful that Kick Ass had never showed. She knew that she could take care of herself, and even though she was completely enamored with him, she didn't want him around for those occasions that Red Mist showed his face. That face. It was a face she would never forget. It was cold and snarling, and full of lust. It was the face of someone she once loved. She immediately barred the thought from her mind. She saw Damien...her lungs hurt.

She thought about Kick Ass. There was something about him that she liked. Maybe is was his self deprecating humor, or maybe it was his constant staring at her. Whatever it was she relished in the thought. She hadn't been this happy since the last lover she had.

But that was something all to its own. Her last lover had been afflicted with her same disease. She had known deep within her that he would eventually die, and relatively soon. Kick Ass on the other hand, to her knowledge, was disease free. She pondered the thought. The realization pained her. The realization that her impending death was just around the corner didn't really help either. She almost got to her feet and dialed the doctor's number, forced herself into treatment, and made herself love him.

But as she pondered the thought, another cut into her head. This want a fairytale, she would never live happily ever after. Playing dress up,and getting the bad guy every night, fighting off evil, and letting good prevail meant jack shit in her world. It was something to do until she died. Secretly she hoped that some junkie would kill her in the line of duty, but again she would have no heroic death, no going out in a hail of bullets. She would die in her bed, alone at home.

The thought surged through her. Playing 'superhero' was the only thing she had left in this world. It was all that she loved now. It made sense, it make her happy, and even thought she could barely fathom the idea, it was helping other people as well. She had helped people long ago, and what she had gotten in return was their illness. Her parting gift was death.

She walked over to the window. She looked out to the night sky, the black depth was humbling. She smiled as she undressed and hit the shower. She slept easily that night.

If only Gia had known what awaited her out of that window, she may have decided to save herself after all. Kick Ass was scouring the night, hoping to see her again. He felt a connection with her. He longed for her companionship, but most of all he wanted to see her face. The blue-grey eyes and sun kissed skin were barely enough for him. Unlike Red Mist, Kick Ass had nothing to prove. He didn't have a bruised and battered ego, nor did he think of girls like a trophy, he just wanted her to be his surrogate Katie. At least for the time being. But all he had was Hit Girl, not the companionship he was looking for.

His mind raced as he took down some muggers with his batons. He was almost smiling as he did it. He knew Hit Girl was. Her lack of poise only made room for brute force against any foreseeable enemy. There were perks to working with her, but there were also some big downfalls.

Recently she had become more and more cut off from Dave and Marcus. She was keeping to herself, barricading herself in her room. She wouldn't come out for anything. There were nights that she didn't even eat dinner. She just stayed up in that room, locking herself away. Marcus thought it wasn't healthy, and Dave couldn't help but agree. Seeing Mindy tonight was a shocker. And the fact that she came to his house and got his lazy ass of the couch was even more interesting to Dave.

But Dave snapped out from his trance as a beer bottle was flung past his face, hitting a brick wall.

"Time to get to work..." he breathed to himself, and charged to the thug who threw the bottle.


	9. Don't Go

A knock at her door. She sighed as she applied her mascara, followed by her eyeliner. Her lips were already covered in blood, there was no need for lipstick. Her body was clad in grey skinny jeans, and a black button down shirt. Under the shirt was a hot pink camisole. Her feet were a pair of Nike 6.0. they were every color imaginable. She smiled as she saw herself in the mirror. She covered her mouth with a white mask. Her blonde hair fell over the plastic strap. She shrugged, and walked from the bathroom to the door.

Everything went in slow motion now. She reached for the door knob, the brass shined in the light. It was blinding at the right angle. Her hand clasped the handle. It was smooth, rough patches rubbed against her hands from where the fake brass was rubbing away. She turned the handle, gears. The door opened slowly. In the doorway her brother stood. She launched herself into his arms. She laughed and smiling. The mask against her face reminded her that he couldn't see her mouth. Her smile faded.

"Ready to go?" he asked. He was nervous.

She laughed. "fuck yes." her voice echoed. She closed her eyes.

Lunch with Jackson and Tomas. She was terrified, the only thing that calmed her nerves was looking over at her brother and his boyfriend. They looked so happy. Her heart broke a little as she daydreamed about Kick-Ass's hands on her. She shivered. The food came. Complications.

"Pasta Primavera?" the quirky, too happy waitress said.

Gia raised her hand. They were served. Jackson and Thomas began to scarf down the meal. She stared at her food...scared.

Slowly she removed her mask. Jackson looked up. The mask was off. He could see her mouth. The hesitant breathing was the worst thing about this picture. His sister was still beautiful, but she constantly had a terrified and hollow look on her face. He sighed and looked back over to Thomas, he smiled, and looked back to his sister. They smiled at each other. Gia felt sick.

Dave sat in his beat up Honda civic. He was waiting for the song to end before he pulled the key from the ignition. For just a few more moments he was lost in the music. He looked to his hands on the steering wheel he sighed and pressed his forehead to the back of his hands.

The song ended. He slid the key from the ignition. He slipped the mask onto his face, and opened the door. He secured the batons to the holster on his back, made sure his shoelaces were tied, and he set off into the city. Secretly he was hoping to catch a glimpse of _her_ tonight. He hoped he would be so lucky. He walked the silent streets, his footsteps echoing against the cold brick walls. He signed to himself. And pressed his back next to the cool steel of a dumpster. He slid down to the ground.

He pulled out his iPhone, and checked his Myspace, Dave's, and Kick-Ass's. Of course, Dave's ,Myspace didn't have so much as a comment, whereas Kick-Ass's had hundreds of messages, picture comments, and friend requests. He could barely keep up. He heard footsteps and looked up, hopeful that it was Snow White. Instead of his surrogate Katie, he just saw Hit Girl. He smiled at her.

"Hello, Hit Girl." he said, trying to muster some strength in his voice.

"Hey." she said as she walked up to him and hit him hard in the arm.

He laughed and rubbed where she had hit.

"So...this is how you patrol now?" she asked him, sarcasm in her voice.

"Well tonight it is. Its so fucking quiet. Its kind of creepy..." he trailed off.

"Yeah I agree." she said as she surveyed the area.

Another set of echos bounced off the brick walls. They both snapped their heads to the end of the alleyway. Hit girl reached for her Glock, Kick Ass reached for his batons.

Their eyes grew large as they saw the beacon of light standing before them.

"Snow White...?" Hit Girl asked.

"Yep." gia replied as she walked towards them. Her hooked shaped batons in her hands. They were covered in blood.

She walked over to Kick Ass, and smiled at him from under her mask. He may not have been able to see her mouth, but he could see her eyes. They smiled to him, he melted. Hit Girl laughed, she stuck her hand out to Gia.

"Its good to have you on our side..." Mindy said.

Gia, turned her head. She shook Mindy's hand.

"Its good to be here." Gia said softly.


	10. It Never Ends

Red Mist was in his car as normal. The car was a perfect as the day he received it from his good for nothing father. He smiled, the wealth he had received from his father's passing had helped him keep up the vision he had since day one. He forced his ideals and principles on the city, making them cry out, pleading for him to stop, but their screams and fear fed his addiction. He craved the feeling that cloaked his body at the present moment. He thrust the car forward with every gear shifted. He was on the hunt, on the prowl.

The screams of the city wasn't his only addiction, and aside from cocaine and vodka, the one he loved the most was her. This 'Snow White' girl. He had pleasured himself to her image several times, and he was tired of the false satisfaction, he wanted her, he wanted her tonight. He would take her, and pleasure himself, her body beneath his. He groaned at the thought, and felt himself become hard. He smiled as he pushed the petal further, the engines roared against the cold silent air, tires screamed against the pavement, his car drifted away, the night enveloping him.

Gia was on her way home, the night was sharp against her exposed skin. She sighed and smiled. Images of Kick Ass filled her head, she thought of him, and how kind he was. She shook her head, a grin plastered against her face.

That night had been amazing. He had been with her every step of the way. They took on some thugs trying to mug a kid. Kick Ass, Hit Girl, and Gia had taken them on. The thugs were no match for the three of them. After they demolished the little miscreants and the boy had pledged his eternal loyalty to them, the continued through the city. Kick Ass and Gia ended up on a roof, overlooking the city. Its lights glittered in the black.

They sat together, almost touching, hesitant stares into the blank night may have well just been yells for something physical. She sighed and stood.

"I guess I'm going to get going." she said.

Kick Ass looked up, confused and sad.

"W-why? I thought you were enjoying this..." he said, sounding scared.

She looked down, smiled, and then eased herself down on the roof again.

"I am enjoying this, but I would enjoy it even more if..." she couldn't finish.

"If what?" Kick Ass said, excitement laced his voice.

"Maybe if we talked or, something," she said as she tried to slowly pull her body closer.

He smiled from under the mask. She melted.

The images floated through her head. Joy overwhelmed her. They had talked about almost everything, for hours they sat atop of that building. She hadn't felt this happy since she had been with Damien. A sharp pang of pain hit her in the chest. She tried to erase it with Kick Ass...it worked. She walked briskly along the sidewalk. With every step against the pavement, she felt relief.

Little did she know at that moment, a bright red and black car rounded the corner and turned its headlights off. The car crept along the street, nearing her. The car was slammed into park, the noise startled her, she turned to see Red Mist walking towards her.

"Jesus man, I'm off the clock, what the hell do you want from me?" she said out of exasperation.

He continued walking towards her, a smile on his face.

"Just wanted to see you..." he said as he caught her off guard.

He grabbed her by the throat, and thrust her into the nearby wall. He pinned her hands, pulling them towards his crotch. She felt the tight leather, he was hard beneath it. She knew where this was going, but felt herself slip. She stopped struggling. Confused by her actions he let her go.

He reached up to her mask, and pulled it down. He looked to her blood red lips, he shivered under his own lust. She reached up to his face, she felt the soft mask over his eyes, and then the rough texture of fake hair. She didn't smile, and didn't moan out, she just leaned in and kissed him. She felt something in her ignite. She felt her body wake up, and she felt his arms around her.

They went back to his car, he folded down the seats, a makeshift bed appeared out of black and red leather. She laid down, and as he undressed her she imagined Kick-Ass's hands tugging at her costume, and touching her skin. Red Mist took his costume off. The red and black fabric mingled with that of the white of hers. The only thing that remained was his mask and hair.

Her body cried out for him, and his body growled for hers. Soon they were at it. Their mouths entwined, their bodies became one labyrinth of skin. Her bliss ate at her. Red Mist's body was smooth and tight and fit against her in a disturbingly good way, but she knew that this was superficial. He had just been there, he was attractive, and they had both been hot and ready, there was really nothing more to this.

After a long while in the back of that car he came. The heat of his liquid engulfed her. The contact high was only momentary and then, the bliss was gone, replaced by disgust and filth. He looked at her with loving eyes, and she stared back, her face iced over.

"Do you want to come back to my place maybe? Or out to dinner?" he asked.

"No." is all she could say.

The sex had been mind blowing, it had felt so right, so good, but she knew that it would only last for the rest of the evening, and then...it would be no more for her.

"I'd like to go now..." she spoke.

Red mist looked disappointed.

"Yeah sure.." he said as he handed her the white costume back.

She slipped it on, and stepped out of the car, smelling of sex. He stood with her.

"I really...really...enjoyed that..." he said, he sounded like a child.

She just walked away, leaving Red Mist in the dark.

She slipped into the night, leaving her disgrace on the backseat of the Mist Mobile.


	11. Blessed With A Curse

Her heart fluttered under chest. The nervousness ate at her. She walked towards Kick Ass, she was silent, and hidden in the shadows. She wanted to surprise him...but she just stood there silently.

"Nice to see you again, Snow White." Hit Girl called out to her.

She cursed silently to herself as she stepped from the shadows.

"Yeah you too..." she replied, and walked over to Kick Ass.

"What up?" she said casually.

Kick Ass was messing with his iPhone. She laughed internally...iPhones were as dead as disco if you asked her. A status symbol of pretentiousness and false wealth.

Dave looked to her and smiled, she smiled back at him, and then turned her eyes to Hit Girl. Her false purple hair hung in her face, and guns were strapped all over her body.

"So what do we do tonight? Got any word on some trouble?" Gia asked.

Hit Girl sighed.

"Only the regular. Red Mist has been terrorizing this city as always. As you may have heard, an entire building was demolished this afternoon...thirty killed, and another fifty critically injured. He hasn't owned up to it yet, but I'm sure it was him...it has 'douche bag' written all over it."

Gia was taken back to the night in the Mist Mobile. She never really saw Red Mist as that evil...but maybe he was, she had seen something else in him that night in him, it was strange...but she shrugged it off. Soon they took off, Kick Ass running at her side, she noticed that Kick Ass would look over to her every now and then, as if making sure she was still there...or maybe he just liked to look at her. She secretly hoped that they wouldn't find Red Mist...she didn't think that she could handle that this night. But she kept running, and kept her worried thoughts to herself.

They didn't find Red Mist that night, instead he was home in his penthouse. He was watching the news on TV, a building had blown up, and everyone was pointing the finger at him. The problem was, he didn't do it...he hadn't been out since his night with that Snow White girl. They had sex, and he enjoyed it, but the ultimate rejection is knowing that she was using him just as much, if not more, than he was using her.

That night had been wonderful for him, he got to live out a fantasy, but it never felt complete. Felt like she was going through the motions. In fact he knew she was...he may have been a blood thirsty criminal, but he thought he had treated her with a little respect...she went willingly, and he had even invited her to dinner after...he felt like some kind of loser asshole.

Chris soon retired to his room. Black curtains were pushed back from around the window, and he opened the large glass door. He walked out on the balcony, looking over the city he found himself wondering where she was, and what she was doing. The familiar taste of copper flooded his mouth. He remembered her kisses, they were hungry, and desperate. He frowned, this memory of her was almost sickening. He could barely remember her face, all he could remember clearly was that it was ice cold.

The only emotions that ever crossed it was desperation, and apathy. He cringed at his own memory. He felt a strange pull toward her, he felt an urge to make her his, but at the same time he didn't think he could stomach seeing her again, that's why he wasn't out tonight, its why he hadn't left the penthouse in days. When ever he stepped out of his fortress he felt a wave of illness cross him, he was terrified that he would see her in real life. Oh god, why had he removed her mask? Why was he so insistent on kissing her?

A tear leaked from his face. He felt as though he was cracking up. This girl was a plague on his mind, he was torn to pieces by her eyes, he was massacred daily by her perfect body, he felt helpless against the thought of her. And now as he stood at the top of the world, he was no longer the God-like figure he had once felt like...he was just a regular Joe, tormented by by the flawless image of a woman.

She awoke. She poured some Cheerios in a bowl, and poured milk over them, and sat on her couch and ate. The sun was just rising, she savored this sunrise, it was to beautiful to be dismissed from her mind. She sat on her couch until the sunrise faded into blue sky.

Her body ached as the yellow light splashed across her. The bowl was empty, and so was she. She cursed and tossed the bowl into the sink, shattering it into a million glittering shards of glass.


	12. Blacklist

Mindy sat in her room, it was dark and cold in here, she liked it. She could think here. She could relive her glory days with her father. God, she missed him so much, but if there was one thing he had thought her before he was murdered by Frank D'Amico it was that sometimes a sacrifice is a blessing in disguise. She understood his sacrifice, but hated it all the same. Maybe if he was still alive she wouldn't be here with Marcus.

But don't get her wrong, she liked Marcus, he and Mindy were very close, but he had never felt like much of a father to her, he felt like a best friend, a best friend that let her go out and kill thugs and criminals. She would have never thought Marcus would let her become Hit Girl again, but for some reason he felt like it was good for her. It was all she had ever been good at, and why should he take that away from her?

Little did Mindy know, Marcus had done more than anyone ever should for her. He had mislead a lot of other cops on the force, covered up evidence, and gone against almost every single bit of protocol possible just to keep her hidden. He loved Mindy like she was his own, and he wanted her to be happy. He had convinced himself that any other parent would have done the same.

But recently Mindy had become a bit of a shut in, sitting here in her room in the dark. A depression ate her up, tormenting her, and feeding her bile. She was still hard as nails, but now she was even more ruthless and blood thirsty. But sometimes killing people, and going out dressed like a super hero felt wrong to her. She couldn't help think that there was more to this life than just massacre and mayhem...sometimes as the hot blood welled in her hands from a fresh kill, she felt a cold pit open in her chest.

I was becoming...not enough...it wasn't enough anymore.

The old college looked more like a prison than a house of academia. She sighed as she walked through the doors and rounded a corner heading to student services. She was withdrawing from school. She had a state funded scholarship, she had been accepted the day she had received the news about her health. She had never attended a class. Instead she sat at home, and went out into the world dressed as a third rate super hero. She enjoyed that a lot more than physics.

She entered the student services office. Middle aged women sat behind the desks and greeted her. Their happy welcoming smiles made her heart ache, she would never smile with such an intensity again, sometimes it was a relief, sometimes it was a curse.

She walked up to the desk, and asked for a withdrawal form. The woman's face fell a bit, sadness deepening the small wrinkles. The woman handed her the papers, and showed her to a chair and small table to the opposite side of the room. As Gia filled out the form she felt little more of her life slip away from her grasp. She understood what she was doing, and understood the implications. But she couldn't help feeling that someone else could use the education more than she.

She would day in a few months anyway.

That night she ventured from her apartment, clad in all white, she felt renewed. She scoured the city, leaving a trail of destruction in her wake. She had a menacing feel to her tonight, but that all went away when she saw Kick Ass sitting on a dumpster.

"Hey!" she called out to him. She ran to him, her heart jumped.

He looked back and smiled to her.

"Hey." he said, his voice was always sweet, and soft against her ears.

And then he did something he wasn't used to, he jumped off the dumpster, and embraced her in a hug.

Gia was speechless, she blushed under her mask, and giggled. Dave could tell that she was not used to physical contact, but the happiness that surged through him when he had made contact with her was unparalleled. He couldn't stop smiling, he smiled until his cheeks hurt. Sheer perfection stood in front of him, he couldn't help but be elated.

They walked off, keeping this city safe. Gia was more than happy to be with him at that moment, but in the back of her mind a small voice told her not to get attached, bad things happened when she got attached to someone, or someone got attached to her. The voice was irritating so she pushed it further and further from her, she smiled to Dave, and walked into the depths of the city.

Looking from above was Mindy. A wave of jealousy came over her, Dave was practically her big brother, and it felt like this Snow White girl was slowly taking him away from her. Mindy scowled as she saw they walk away together, dangerously close. She sighed, a small tear of frustration welled in her eye and slid down her cheek.

She stood and walked down the fire escape. She walked in the opposite direction. She was a big girl now, she could handle herself.

* * *

AN: hey guys sorry I haven't been posting regularly, but hopefully you will have noticed that I posted two chapters for your enjoyment. I'm sorry about not being on here lately but ive been ill, and without internet, but hopefully I can tie this story up soon. Anyway, enjoy!


	13. Medusa

Chris was in the Mist Mobile, but not on the street, in his garage.

"God damnit!" he yelled out, and pounded his fists against the steering wheel.

He coughed. Little streaks of red drizzled from his mouth. His face was in a scowl. He was angry, his body was weak, and his chest ached. He felt as thought he couldn't pull any more air into his lungs. He broke out into a fit of coughs. He opened the door of the car, and fell to the hard concrete of the garage floor. He coughed and coughed. Blood drained from his mouth.

He saw a small puddle of red beneath him. He felt a wave of shock overcome him. He got to his feet, and staggered to the door that led to the elevator. He threw himself into the elevator and pressed the white circular button that led him to his penthouse apartment. The white circle glowed a peach color. He stared at it while he slowly began to lose consciousness. Red death drained from his mouth. A quiet _ding _echoed in his head as he closed his eyes. His body lay limp half way out of the elevator and half way into the marbled foyer.

Bits of crimson speckled the white stone around his mouth. All he heard was hurried footsteps and screams from his minions. He moaned in pain. The copper flooded his mouth, its the last thing he could remember as blackness stole him from reality.

"Two months..." she mumbled to herself as she pulled on her white costume. She stood facing the mirror, the mask slid over her mouth, and a tear rolled down her face. She shook the feeling of helplessness off her body. She jumped from her window to the fire escape and quickly ran down the metal stairs and to the end of the alleyway. The night was just darkening around the edges. She pushed herself to go faster, and harder. Her chest was on fire, but she had come to love that feeling.

The feeling reminded her of her humanity, it reminded her that she was still here in the present, in the now. Her body was still useful to some extent. Her legs still carried her to where she needed to go, her arms were still strong enough to take down junkie assholes, and her mind was still sharp enough to get her out of tight spots. But all she had was two months left with this earthly body.

She thought of Kick Ass, she had fallen hard for the self deprecating boy. He was kind and sweet, he saw more to her than her body. He saw a human that needed escape. He understood her struggle, just not to as far of an extent as he thought he did. He saw her as hope, a beacon of not only light but a beacon of immortal strength. Little did he know that she was more mortal than he thought.

She was sprinting, she was rushing herself. The burn in her grew. Not just the burn in her chest from a disease, but a burn to see him. She had to tell him. Tonight was the night. She had to admit to him that she was a liar, a fake, a death sentence.

As she rounded a corner she saw a flash of teal, Kick Ass was running, trying to catch up with a criminal. She sprung into action. She ripped her batons out, and hurried to catch up with them. She finally caught up with Dave, she gave a quick nod, and zoomed past him, she was fast on the guys heels. She tried to hook his ankle with her hooked batons, but couldn't get him. She thought all hope was lost, but then Kick Ass dove from an alley and tacked the criminal.

Gia was stunned. Dave pinned the hunk of trash to the ground. He hand cuffed the asshole and walked over to Gia.

"Hey," he said, breathless.

His hands on his knees, he looked up and smiled to Gia. He gave a halfhearted laugh, and slowly walked over to her. She looked down to him. He was perfect, well perfect for her. Maybe in another life they could have been together, but this wasn't that life, this was the way it was meant to be.

"Here..." she said, helping him up. She wrapped his harm around her shoulder, and they both began to walk off.

"Lets get out of here..." she said as they walked down the sidewalk.

They walked for a while, soon Kick Ass was well enough that he could stand on his own. They kept a good conversation going even though there was almost nothing to speak about. Kick Ass had regaled her about three times with every story he had, but to her they never got old.

She was just happy to be in his presence. She was happy to see his masked face even if it was bloodied and bruised. She smiled as he made stupid jokes, and talked about comics and a useless life he lived without the mask on. They spoke for a while looking for trouble, but the trouble had already happened...

"Chris D'Amico was found today in his upper east side penthouse apartment unconscious and bleeding from the mouth, he was rushed to the hospital, and placed in the ICU. D'Amico was named the sole heir to his fathers massive wealth after his death two years ago. There have been claims that the D'Amico family amassed their wealth through the drug trade, but the accusations have never gained any ground with the local authorities..."

the T.V. Called out to them. By this time they had come to a standstill on the sidewalk. Kick Ass's eyes had grown wide, Gia was confused.

"Are you okay? Do you know him?" she asked, worried.

Dave hesitated, and gulped.

"Chris...well...what I'm about to tell you is going to sound ridiculous...but Chris D'amico is...Red Mist..." Dave said this with a hit of a smile in his face.

Dave knew that with Red Mist out of commission for a while meant that this city would be safer, and that it was a step in the right direction. He looked over to Snow White...expecting her to have an utterly gleeful look on her face, but her face was written in horror.

"Woah...whats wrong Snow?" he asked.

She stammered over her words but nothing useful came out except "I have to go."

She ran off into the night dodging pedestrians and various trash cans. She ran until she could no longer see Kick Ass. She ran until she understood the full implications of her actions and then she feel to her knees.

She was a monster, a zombie, she preyed on this innocent and infected them...she had to stop this, right now.


	14. The Fox And The Wolf

"So what the fuck is wrong with me?" his voice echoed in the stark white room.

The doctor looked to him, worried looks showered the room.

"You, somehow, contracted pulmonary tuberculosis. I'm not sure how this happened, but I'm sorry." the doctor concluded.

"Well...what does that mean? Am I going to die?" Chris asked, a shaking sensation in his voice.

"There are many different treatment options. Thankfully we found this relatively early. I have faith that you will recover very well, and in no time Chris." the doctor concluded.

Chris felt a bit of fear replaced with relief. But the question still remained, how did he contract TB? He was scared and worried, but tried to keep his cool as the doctor went over the numerous options for him. But those options zoomed by his head.

The next minuet Chris snapped from his thoughts and found himself in his room. The lavish setting made him feel at home but now he felt even more alone. He was alone. In this world of real live super heroes and super villains he was just a passing life. Chris's mind cut to Snow White. He remembered that night in the car with her. He tried to take himself back there, he remembered the feel of her skin, and the hurried kisses on his lips, her cold eyes ate him up, and soon Chris was on his bed, curled up in a sheet.

He felt a connection with her, he felt like they may have had something in common. He knew that she could understand his struggle, and maybe his pain. He thought that maybe she was just as alone in this fucked up world as he was, but this was all just speculation. It was him searching for someone to reach out too. His body begged for her, but not in the way it one did. It just begged for her company now, her completely clothed and not naked at all,company. He let out a few sick bloody coughs, and then slowly drifted off to sleep.

It had been a week since she had ran off after hearing that Red Mist was Chris D'Amico. Her face may still have been covered with that white and crimson mask, but her eyes told a story he would never forget. The look of pain and fear was all to present in her eyes, the cold had melted away for just a moment, and all that was left was remorse.

Since that night he had not seen her. He had been out every night, pulling late patrols hoping to catch a glimpse of her white form. But he had seen nothing, and heard even less. In fact he had heard less from everyone including Mindy. She hadn't been returning his calls and he was beginning to get suspicious. He picked up his iPhone and dialed Marcus.

"Hello?" Marcus's deep voice answered.

"Hey, its Dave..." he replied.

"Hey Dave, how are you?" Marcus's voice was happy...it made Dave feel paranoid.

"Listen I haven't heard anything from Mindy in days, how has she been?" Dave concluded.

The conversation took a somber turn.

"You know as much as I do. The only times I see her is before and after school, any time else she is either in her room, or out and about. She had been spending less and less time here, she hasn't been eating, and I don't think she has been sleeping much. I'm worried Dave, but I'm not sure what to do about all of this. I know she is different, but this is just so...out of character for her." Marcus concluded.

Dave sat and thought for a second. He knew Mindy had always been distant, it was just in her nature, but to be this cut off, this distant was strange. Dave knew something was up.

"Hey Marcus, I'm going to try to find her for you okay? I swear I will." Dave said.

Marcus and Dave said their goodbyes, and then the phones were off.

Dave suited up, and swiftly climbed out his window and took off down the fire escape.

The night had been so cold. Her purple hair hung in her face. She sat in waiting, but no one ever came. She felt her heart pound under her chest, it was like a death rattle. Her boots kicked against the wall that the sat on, the muted _thump thump thump_ echoed around her. She felt herself become angry. It killed her to feel this way. She felt like a pussy, like a stupid little girl. She couldn't stand the feeling. She only knew that if Dave was here she could feel better, but he was probably out with that Snow White girl or something.

That girl. She was perfection. It tore Mindy up. She was Mindy's replacement. She was what Dave could never have from Mindy...a lover, a friend, someone to call his own. Now she had never had feelings for Dave, but she did care about him. He felt like what a big brother would be. Protective, kind, caring, and above all fun to be with. It infuriated her that some skank in a costume could take him away from her so easily.

But Mindy eventually gave up on the thought, someone was walking down the alleyway, talking on a cellphone, just a little too loudly. Mindy jumped off the wall and landed on her feet. She took out one of her knifes, and held it tightly in her hand. She walked behind the man, and snaked her hand around his head and covered his mouth. She placed the knife on his throat and felt the hot liquid on her gloved hand. She smiled. He fell to the ground lifeless.

She smiled as the blood reflected black in the dull city street lights. But the happiness and joy of the hot goo on her hands only lasted a moment, and she felt empty again. She cursed to herself and walked away from the murder scene.


	15. They Have No Reflections

The loud banging at her door sent her psyche into a frenzy. She wanted with all her heart and soul to silence the annoying racket, but stayed in her bed, staring out the window into the dark night. The blackness swept over the street. It was a sign that it was time to have some fun, but tonight she just want in the mood. If her actions from twenty-four hours ago had meant anything she knew that I would do nothing for her, it would leave her as empty as ever.

There was yelling now from the other side of the wooden barricade. Two voices. Dave's, and Marcus's. She knew that they were worried about her, but she was in no mood to reply. They could wait, they would one day understand her struggle. She was a martyr in this world. She was a lepper, diseased.

The door was being picked by Marcus now. She could hear Dave's impatience through the air. The soft clicking led her to a simple time, with her birth father, nights of killing, massacring. She missed them. Maybe if he was still here things would be different, she would feel different.

The creaking sound on the opposite side of the room made her aware of her impending onslaught of confrontation. She cringed when she heard their footsteps on the cold hardwood floor. She felt their anger and distrust. She turned.

"Mindy? What the hell?" Dave whined out.

"Excuse me?" she chimed back at him, darkness in her.

"Mindy, whats with you lately? I've been so worried about you sweetheart...sitting up here alone all day and night isn't good for you..." Marcus said, he spoke like a true father.

"Sorry." its all she could say, she didn't have any more words to go around.

She knew that Dave might be catching on. He had walked around the bed she was on and was facing her now. She didn't make eye contact or speak a word to him. She stared into her lap, counting the threads in her blue jeans.

"Marcus, do you mind if Mindy and I talk alone?" Dave said quietly.

Marcus didn't reply, instead he just walked out of the room and closed the door but not before he gave a worried look to Dave.

"So what the fuck is going on...the past few months you have become so detached from me, I haven't gone on patrol with you in ages. You know I use to be the moody lazy one, but it seems like we switched places." he concluded.

Mindy looked to Dave. Her eyes sliced into him, but he was use to that now. She cut him open so many times that the scar tissue in his mind was made of steel.

"You replaced me." Mindy said as she guided her eyes back to her lap.

Dave sat confused for a moment.

"I could never replace you Mindy, you are...well your like my little sister." he concluded.

"I don't mean in a family sense asshole, like as in your partner..." Mindy said.

Dave couldn't believe his ears.

"Snow, Snow White...she, well she..." he couldn't find the words.

"Save your words...I know how it is." Mindy replied to his stutter.

She rose from her bed, and walked to the closed door.

"You can go now." her voice was cold.

Dave got to his feet from the desk chair and walked to her. Mindy faced her big bay window from the other side of the room, and Dave was halfway through the threshold.

"I haven't seen her in weeks Mindy. She hasn't made any attempt to get in touch with me. I don't know what happened to her but...shes gone." Dave's voice faded into the darkness of the upstairs hallway.

Mindy's eyes welled with tears that would never fall.

Tonight's moment with Mindy just reminded Dave of Snow White for the millionth time in four weeks. He was worried about her, but most of all he just missed her. The image of her killed him. His head felt like a broken record, replaying the last night he saw her over and over in his head. He tortured himself with the thought of her. He could barely sleep most nights. Something about her made him feel empty, lost and general drained of all life. Its like she had come into his world and taken everything from him, and he didn't mind.

Work and school were chores without seeing her later that night. He felt sick most of the time now, but he tried his hardest to forget her, to wipe her from his thoughts. He tried everything, including hitting on a girl in his English class but that went no where. He felt like everything was falling apart until one evening he got a MySpace message from an anonymous user.

_Meet me tonight. _

_ The demolished Franks Lumber. _

_ Ten. _

his heart stopped. His lungs fluttered. He grabbed his suit and ran out of the apartment.


	16. Visions

He was running so hard his feet could have cracked the pavement. His heart beat furiously beneath his ribs. Hr rounded a corner to see the old vacant lot at his disposal. A beacon of white stood before him. He signed in relief. He ran as fast as he could. Every moment he spent running to her felt like a life time. He stopped abruptly in front of her. Her eyes were hollow and her body was far more pale than usual. He reached out to her, but she shied away.

"Hey..." he said.

She just looked to him.

"We need to talk." she said quietly, her words muffled by her mask.

Terror greased her conscience. She was scared, not only to see him, but she was scared of so much more. For week, and months she had been telling herself that she wasn't afraid to die, that she wasn't afraid to cough blood, and watch her perfect body turn to dust before her very eyes.

She told herself all of this but when it came down to the wire she was just as scared as everyone else in this world. Playing superhero was her way of taking her anger and hatred out onto the world, and in the process something happened that she didn't expect. She fell for someone that was never supposed to reside in her life.

She looked to him. His eyes were in a happy turmoil. She cursed her existence. This wasn't supposed to happen, she wasn't ever supposed to get sick, she wasn't supposed to wear a mask, and she sure as hell wasn't about to do what she was going to do.

"I'm dieing..." she spit out.

His face went through a range of emotions until it landed on amusement. He laughed at her like she was telling a joke. Her rage peaked. She punched him across the face. His hot flesh tangled with his blood. Her cold body screamed for his warmth.

"Fuck you." her voice cried.

He looked up to her. His face was no longer gleeful, full of happiness. The punch across the face awoke him from his perfect little life. She hoped this would happen, she was relieved.

"What?" it all he could muster.

"Specifics aren't important. What you need to know is that I wont be here next week...my year to live is up, and I want to spend my last happy night with you. Just...just...give me that please?" she concluded, her voice quivering with tears.

He agreed, what else could he do? The girl he had fallen so hard for was dieing. He didn't ask anything about it, he knew she wouldn't tell him anyway. He reached up to her, she didn't flinch away this time. He took her body in his hands, and pulled her into him. He felt her body, it was cold and thin. This terrified him.

He felt her hot tears against his shoulder. She cried against him. They sunk to a sitting position against an old burnt down wall. He cradled her in his arms she cried for hours while having a death grip on him and his body, he ran his hands through her hair, and down to her face. It was smooth and flawless.

But then he felt the rough industrial fabric of her mask. He cringed. He had never seen her face, he was sure that it was as perfect as the rest of her, but all he wanted was to see her, just one time. He wanted to see her in the light, with no wig, no mask, he just wanted to look at her. He slowly hooked a finger under the mask, and began to pull up.

"No! You cant!" she cried to him and pulled away.

But he was done with this.

"I want to see your face, just one, please, just once...I'm just so fucking in love with you...please..." he concluded his plead.

She hesitated, and rose. She paced back and forth as he sat amongst the rubble. Her tears never stopped flowing.

She was desperate for him, but she was terrified to show it. She was a monster. She remembered the night with Red Mist. She didn't want to infect someone else again. She was terrified of it. But against her better judgment she slipped her mask off as she was turned away from him. She wiped the little traces of blood of her lips and turned.

"I love you too." she spoke.

He looked upon a perfect vision of tragic beauty. He got to his feet and walked to her. He slowly took his mask off and looked at her in the eyes.

"Now its equal." he said as he leaned his forehead against hers.

And then it happened. They kissed.

It was so innocent, so sweet. The purest form of love. For a split second his lips were against hers, sheer pleasure is all either of them felt. But then she was gone. She disappeared from this picture, right from underneath his hands. He looked to his shoulder, the teardrops were there.

He fell to his knees. Tears poured from his eyes. This moment was over, and he would never get another.


	17. Slow Dance

The IV in his arm was beginning to itch. It didn't feel like it was doing its job either, he still felt thirsty. He still felt weak, and useless. He was a burden unto himself. His kidneys were failing him, him, his lungs were failing him, he wouldn't be surprised if I heart went out or his liver turned to dust over night. He sighed as he pulled a comic book towards him.

He had stopped reading so long ago, when he first started all this mess. Sometimes he wished that he hadn't. Before he was Red Mist, comics were all that kept his depression at bay. And now that he couldn't go kill real people, he decided to let illustrated figures do it for him. He found a familiar comfort in these pages. Soon the doctor came in, and sat across from him on an old black stool with wheels.

"Well it seems that you are doing much better Chris. You need to stay hydrated though, the dehydration is what caused the kidney failure, but we caught it very early, and you are going to be fine." the doctor concluded.

Chris was relieved. His mind ceased to race, and his heart stopped pounding with fear. All that was left was a small pang of pain in his chest. He smiled though, he was going home.

Hospitals smelled like Clorox and Lysol to him. The stark white was supposed to make everything seem clean, but it made him paranoid. He always asked himself why they couldn't paint hospitals some other color. The white was blinding. He hated it. He had always hated white...until she had come into his life...

But he pushed the thought from his mind as he pulled on a pair of black jeans, and a white t-shirt, and then a black hoodie. He sat on the bed as he slipped a pair of socks and shoes on his feet. Mommy didn't dress him any more, she was barely in his life as is, but he was almost glad for that...until now. He missed how caring and loving she was when he was a child. Now she was too drunk to even know...or care that her son was ill. But whatever. Fuck her right?

He ran his hands through his hair a few times in the rooms bathroom mirror, and then looked himself over. He was covered in lean muscle once, but now all he saw was a thin lanky boy that he was trying to run away from. This illness had taken its toll on him, and he hated that. He missed being Red Mist 2.0, now he was just back to Chris D'Amico...the loser. He was disgusted with himself, he felt vulnerable and sick. He walked from the bathroom and to the bedside table.

He picked up his comics and laptop. He began to walk away, but looked back. On the table there was a bottle of water. He hesitated but walked back and got it. He shoved it into his backpack and walked out of the room. Tony and some other thugs were there. He couldn't even smile at them much less look at them.

"So how you feelin' Chris?" Tony asked.

Chris looked to him. Hate filled his vision.

"Like I'm dieing Tony..." is all Chris said.

Tony kept his mouth shut after that.

Chris had almost made it to the doors of the hospital, but then commotion broke out. An ambulance screeched up to the curb, and three EMTs jumped out. They pulled a yellow framed stretcher out of the back of the ambulance. The EMTs were hauling ass as they broke into the emergency room. Strapped to the stretcher was a girl, maybe in her twenties, she had blonde hair, and sickeningly pale skin. Chris gasped in horror.

"Wait! WAIT! I KNOW HER!"he yelled as he ran after them.

They didn't stop, but one of the EMTs turned and looked at him.

"You know her?" he asked in a hurry.

"Yeah, well I think I do..." Chris said, now unsure of himself.

He thought it was her, Snow White, but her face had been skewed from the oxygen mask, and her eyes were closed. He thought he had made a mistake. But he hadn't.

"Never mind man, I'm sorry for keeping you...I thought I did...but it couldn't be...the person I know." Chris said.

The EMT didn't speak, but just ran off.

Chris dismissed what he had seen and slowly he, tony and the thugs made their way to the sleek Chrystler 300 parked in front of the entrance. They climbed inside and drove away from the hospital. Chris made it home that evening. He plopped himself down on the big cushy white couch and flipped the TV on. There was nothing out of the ordinary. He became bored with TV and soon retired to his room.

He fell onto the bed and promptly passed out.


	18. Traitors Never Play Hangman

The air was warmer than usual at this time of night. There she stood against an alleyway, bored as hell and ready for some action. But action wasn't as common as it had been. The cops had caught the guy that leveled that building downtown a few months ago, and Chris D'Amico may as well have been dead. His entire operation failed when he was out of commission.  
The only things left to do was catch independent sellers and purse snatchers. And that kind of work felt like it was beneath her. She was the legend, the myth, Hit Girl. She was the mobs biggest fear, and every little girls hero. She was the poster child for female empowerment. She was truly a legend, and she was only thirteen.

Going back to petty theft felt like regression. Her father trained her better than that. He trained her for the worst. Just her against twelve three-hundred pound thugs, that what her father had always envisioned for her. He never envisioned her standing against a brick wall at three in the morning on a Wednesday night...well Thursday morning now.

She was tired of this spot. She pulled herself from the wall and walked down the dimly lit alleyway. She pulled her smart phone out of her pocket and pulled up her personal Facebook page. She had a few new messages. She opened the first and quickly read it. Soon she hit reply and began typing. But soon her concentration was broken by footsteps on a roof. She looked up and placed a hand over her Glock.

"Who's there?" he asked.

There was silence.

"I said who's here?" she said as she pulled the gun from her holster.

She extended her pistol out, constantly looking around, making sure all sides were covered. Then a glowing white form emerged from the darkness. Her face turned to anger.

"I thought you disappeared." Hit Girl called out as she placed the gun back on her hip.

"Don't worry, I'll be gone again soon. I just wanted to talk." She spoke out.

Mindy was wary of the situation, but tried to give the woman in white the benefit of the doubt.

"Okay...I guess. What about?" Mindy asked.

"Me." Gia said as she walked towards Hit Girl slowly.

Mindy rolled her eyes and turned around and walked off into the opposite direction.

"Listen, I don't need your shit tonight, there are better things to do than talk to a slut like you." Mindy said.

Gia wasn't upset. She understood the girls anger. Normally she would have let her walk off, and spoken to her later, but there was no later for Gia. Tonight was the night.

"I know...but this is important." Gia said, a plead in her voice.

Mindy turned.

"What could be so important?" Mindy asked, irritated.

"Well...I'm dieing. I just wanted to talk..." Gia said.

Mindy was slightly interested.

"Okay, well shoot." Mindy said, thinking she was bluffing about dieing.

"Hit Girl, this is my last chance to make amends. I sort of came into your world, and took something that belonged to you...Kick Ass. I dont know what drew me to him but I kind of fell for him. I don't know, it felt like I found comfort in him. He understood my struggle, our struggle...as masks. I dont know why I'm saying this...but I just wanted to let you know the method behind my madness." Gia concluded.

Mindy thought for a moment.

"Umm...okay. I really don't give a shit about your love affair, all I know is that you kind of took over. And not only that...but I don't get you...and all this dieing bullshit...don't fucking lie to me about something like that. I'm not going to have pity on you for some lie you tell me. Why don't you just go back to your lover boy Kick Ass." Mindy said.

"No, listen, I'm not lieing about dieing soon. I'm being serious. And I guess I really came here to warn you against being like me. You are so closed off and cold. If you are like this now, then imagine how you will be when you are eighteen! Listen, I've been down that road, I was cold and cut off, and angry. But living like that fucking blows. I'm just saying...don't be so cold, so distant. You will regret it eventually. I'm sorry I bothered you, I just...I just wanted to talk." Gia finished.

Mindy was shocked at what she had just said. She seemed sincere, normally Mindy wouldn't let that get to her, but the more and more Mindy looked at Snow white, the more she saw. She was terrifyingly pale, there were bruises all over her arms from what looked like IV sites. She was weak, and could barely walk. And it looked like she was about to pass out at any moment.

"You aren't joking are you?" Mindy asked.

"No, I'm not...I'm very sick. I'm going to die." Gia replied.

Mindy understood now. She felt bad for treating her so badly, but she didn't know what to say or do.

"Don't tell Dave we had this little chat okay?" Gia asked Mindy.

"Okay." Mindy agreed for some reason. Normally that wouldn't happen, but she felt so sorry for this girl that it was almost instinctual.

"Bye." Gia spoke to Mindy, and then walked off leaving Mindy confused and feeling vulnerable.


	19. Suicide Season

Running was no longer a skill she acquired any more. Since her hospitalization two days ago she had lost almost all of her strength. She could barely walk, or breathe for that matter. But she was on a mission, her last mission. She knew where she could find him, she was on her way there right now.

Since she had spoken with Hit Girl already tonight there was just one more person to get a hold of. Kick Ass. Their last meeting two weeks ago had ended on a strange note. She had kissed him, and what she learned from kissing someone was bad things always followed. Her mind flashed to Red Mist, a tear came to her eyes but she pushed it away.

All she knew about this meeting was that it was going to be mainly informative. She needed to tell Kick Ass about her, she needed to give him the information that she had been keeping from him since that first night she and him met. And she knew that this meeting was going to be her last.

She stopped in a dark alleyway and changed her clothes. She put on a pair of skinny jeans, and black flats. She threw on a tank top and then a blue hoodie to make it look like she hadn't lost so much weight. She resumed her walk now with a backpack on her back. That backpack was heavy, not only on her back but her mind. It carried the life she loved, the life that was birthed from death.

Soon she found herself a block from where she knew Kick Ass would be. She was nervous, her breathing was erratic, and her lungs were screaming in pain. As she rounded the corner she kept her eyes peeled for him. And then she saw him. The dark teal in the alleyway. An iPhone shined on his face. She smiled as she walked towards him.

"Kick Ass..." she said softly when she was about five feet away.

He looked up to her confused.

"Well hi, do you want an autograph or something? I'm kind of on patrol, but it would be no problem," he said smiling.

She giggled at him, she was ecstatic to be with him again, but also fearful. It was the last time she would see him. She was devastated at this fact.

"Its me Kick Ass...Snow White." she said as she stood closer to him.

He looked at her and recognized her eyes. He took a step back, shocked to see her without her mask on.

"Hey, how are you doing?" the second after he asked, he knew it was a stupid question.

She frowned and looked to the ground. A tear dropped to the cold black asphalt.

"Listen...I needed to tell you about me...before...before I die." she said quietly as she moved to him. She grabbed his warm hand. He felt how cold hers was on his skin. He winced a little but never took his eyes off hers.

"Dave, I have Pulmonary Tuberculosis. A year ago a doctor gave me a year to live. I was so scared and angry, and terrified. I became self destructive, and then after a night of binge drinking, I turned the TV on, and saw your picture. You inspired me to become who I am today. You made me want to be a hero, you made me want to live for this last year. I just wanted to say thank you." she concluded.

Dave had tears in his eyes. He didn't know what to think, or what to do for those few moments after she told him about her condition. He then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him.

"Whats your name? Your real name?" he asked.

She looked up to him. There was no more fear in her, now just love.

"Gia, Gia Vang." she answered.

The moments following that were silent between them. Dave said her name over and over again in his head. He loved her name. He loved her, and he needed to say it.

"I love you, Gia." he said.

Her heart lurched. She let out a soft cry.

"Whats your name?" she asked, tears welling in her throat.

He waited.

"Dave, Lave lizewski." he said quietly in her ear.

"I love you Dave." she said. Tears streaming down her face.

"I know, I know...its okay." he said to her, trying to comfort her as she cried.

They stood there for a few minuets longer. Dave didnt want to let her go. He wanted to hold her forever, but soon she pulled her body from him.

"Dave, we kissed, I could have passed the infection to you, you need to go to the doctor soon to make sure that you aren't sick, I really want you to do this, for me." she said.

"Yeah, I promise I will. I just...I don't want you to go. You are everything to me. You are-" he was cut off.

"No, I'm not. I'm a passing character. You are the real deal. I want you to live your life as you would have without me ever showing up. I want you to live. Please do that for me." she asked of him.

"I'll do that." Dave said.

"Good...well I have to go back to the hospital, I snuck out, I'm sure they are looking for me." she said, "But I want you to have this." she handed him her backpack with her costume in it.

"No, I cant keep this. I-I..." he couldn't go on.

"I have to go. I love you Dave."

those were the last words he heard her speak.

He found himself the next morning on the couch in his apartment an empty bottle of Jack Daniels on the coffee table.


	20. Who Wants Flowers When You're Dead?

Her eyes closed indefinitely a year and a week after her initial diagnosis. She died in that hospital, hooked up to machines, and no one in the room. Her last thoughts were of Dave. She loved him so much, it killed her, literally, to leave him in the world. In those last moments, she regretted her choice not to get treatment.

The funeral was small and quiet. They lowered her into the ground on a average day. Her brother was there, a few people she had once worked with and of course, as super heroes often do, Dave stood several feet away as he saw her slowly sink into the ground. A tear fell from his eye, but it was replaced with an emptiness that only one other person in the would could fill.

Dave walked to thew bus stop outside of the cemetery. He sat waiting. Soon Gia's family and friends filtered out of the gates and into their respective cars. The only person left behind was a boy. He looked to Dave quizzically, and slowly moved to him. Soon the boy was in front of Dave. Before Dave could say a word the boy spoke.

"Did you know my sister?" the boy asked.

"She...Gia was your sister?" Dave asked.

"Yeah..."Gia's brother replied.

Dave stopped for a minuet. He thought about her. His heart ached for her.

"Yes for a very short time...I knew her. She was an amazing woman." Dave spoke.

The boy looked to him. He wore a face of anguish.

"Thanks." he said and walked back.

Dave arrived home. His body was tired and his mind even more so. He walked over to his sofa and sat. he looked around the room, his eyes landed on the picture he had of Katie. Her face was so sweet and loving. He sighed and cradled his head in his hands. He missed her so much, and now with Gia gone, he had no one. He rubbed his eyes, and stared at the ground.

Soon he felt his phone vibrating. He looked at the caller ID, and didn't recognize it, but he answered anyway.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Hello Mr. Lizewski, I'm calling from Dr. Madre's office. I have the results of your test. It seems you're tested negative." the woman said.

Dave froze. He wasn't sick. _Luck of the draw_, he thought to himself.

"Umm...thank you." he said.

"Your very welcome, you have a great day sir." the woman said.

Dave hung up the phone.

Dave realized how lucky he was then. He knew that he had to live up to Gia's requests. He couldn't sit around and wait for life to happen any more. He was Kick Ass for god's sake. He was the super hero, and the hero always gets the girl.

He picked up his phone, and hurriedly dialed a number. It rang and rang. Dave almost gave up but then someone answered.

"Hello?" a soft feminine voice answered.

"Hey Katie...its Dave.

"Oh hi Dave, whats up?" Katie asked.

"Not much, just wondering if you wanted to go out for coffee or something, maybe hit up Atomic...I haven't been there in ages." Dave said, his voice was nervous.

Katie paused.

"Sure, okay, when?" she asked.

"How about now...I mean if you have nothing else to do." he was hoping she would agree.

"Sure, let me get my coat, I'll meant you there in ten okay?" she laughed a little and the cold tone to her voice melted away.

"Okay see you then." Dave said and hung up the phone.

He grabbed his coat and dashed out of the door.

Chris was out tonight for the first time in ages. His body was stronger than ever and so was his spirit. He was running around this city like a fucking mad man. He was enjoying every minuet of this, but he was here for a purpose. He wanted to find her. He wanted her so bad. He drove around the city in circles looking for her, never giving up hope.

This became Chris's routine, every night he would go out and drive around, pull some petty crimes, every now and then run into Kick Ass and Hit Girl, but never finding the fabled Snow white. Eventually after years of searching he felt like he was chasing a ghost. Maybe she had never really existed, maybe she had never touched him, maybe he had never kissed her after all.

It was disconcerting. Eventually Red Mist turned into his very own ghost. He faded into the background along with everyone else in the city. They all faded away, drowning in the blackness.

Resurrections are or dieing franchises...and she was just too good for that...

Last chapter! I want to thank all of you my darling readers, without you I'm nothing. I want to thank the people who put down this story...they can fuck off...I'm sure you will all agree, but they did make me want to keep going. And I'd really love to thank my good friend thenewfrontiersman! You are awesome dude! He was the one who inspired all of this fic, thanks!

So this may be the end of Gia...but I have a few other fics on the rise. I'm writing a Nightwing fic right now, its a little weird...but maybe you guys would like to check it out. After that gets going I may be posting a Gamer fic, based off the movie, so keep an eye out for all of th at! I love you guys! Happy reading!


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